of the great city.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

Several months passed away. During this period Phil Sparks kept in
close hiding, because, although the Bloater, true to his promise,
refrained from giving information against him, there were others who
knew and suspected him, and who had no visions of an imploring Martha to
restrain them in their efforts to deliver him into the hands of justice.

During this period, also, Ned Crashington recovered his wonted health
and vigour, while his wife, to some extent, recovered her senses, and,
instead of acting as an irritant blister on her husband, began really to
aim at unanimity. The result was, that Ned's love for her, which had
only been smothered a little, burst forth with renewed energy, and
Maggie found that in peace there is prosperity. It is not to be
supposed that Maggie was cured all at once. She was not an angel--only
an energetic and self-willed woman. She therefore broke out now and
then in her old style; but, on the whole, she was much improved, and the
stalwart fireman no longer sought martyrdom in the flames.

During this period, too, the men of the Red Brigade held on the even
tenor of their furious fiery way; not, indeed, scatheless, but with a
much smaller amount of damage to life and limb than might have been
expected in a service where the numerical strength was so low--only
about 380 men--and where the duty, night and day, was so severe and
hazardous.

About this time, their Chief's "Report" for the past year was issued,
and it revealed a few facts which are worthy of record. It stated that
there had been altogether 1946 fires in London during the past twelve
months; that is, an average of a little more than five fires every
twenty-four hours. Of these 1670 had been slight, while 276 were
serious. In these fires 186 persons had been seriously endangered, of
whom 153 were rescued by the men of the Red Brigade, while 33 perished,
despite the most gallant efforts to save them. The Report showed,
further, that there were in London at that time, (and it is much the
same still), 50 fire-engine stations, 25 land steam fire-engines, 85
manual fire-engines, 2 floating steam fire-engines on the Thames, and
104 fire-escapes. The number of journeys made by the fire-engines
during the year was 8127, and the total distance run was 21,914 miles.
This, the reader will observe, implies an enormous amount of labour
performed by the 380 heroes who constitute the Red Br